2018-19 Blaze King Performance Thread Part 2 (Everything BK)

[Ashful]

But who cares how long you can burn if it doesn't heat your house. To me your definition of burn time is just a maximum burn time which to me is completely useless. I care about heating my house not where the needle is on the cat probe.

Whose house, and on which day? For every position on that dial, and every corresponding burn rate, there are days on which it will or won’t heat my house. When manufacturers and users talk about maximum burn time, they’re not taking the particulars of bholler’s house into consideration.

 

[bholler]

Whose house, and on which day? For every position on that dial, and every corresponding burn rate, there are days on which it will or won’t heat my house. When manufacturers and users talk about maximum burn time, they’re not taking the particulars of bholler’s house into consideration.

No of course they aren't. They are referring to maximum burn time. But most people talk about the burn time that they get. That usually refers to how long their stove can heat their house.

 

[sprawlnstall]

I see both sides of the debate. I’ve gotten 20 hour burns in 30 degree weather and 6 hour burns in -30 weather. In both circumstances the house was warm and the cat was active.

 

[Highbeam]

Should be a good test for the princess. Brought in my 5 year seasoned Oak and planning for a hot cleanout tonight so I can pack the stove. Hoping for 8 hour reloads but may have to fire up the pellet stove if “the old girl” can’t keep up.

View attachment 238997

I have not found leaving an ash layer to be important with this stove. Runs great on the bricks. Other stoves, the ash really helps.

 

[Highbeam]

That usually refers to how long their stove can heat their house.

I totally disagree. In my opinion, Maximum burn times at a particular output rate is what people are talking about. Maximum because they fill the firebox and burn the whole load.

None of that has anything to do with bholler’s house or how cold it is outside. It’s a simple stove performance specification that is repeatable in every house which is why this is important. You can use that data in any house!

The maximum burn time at various rates is right there in the brochure because that is the language spoken in the stove world.

 

[bholler]

Maximum burn times at a particular output rate is what people mean. Maximum because they fill the firebox and burn the whole load.

None of that has anything to do with bholler’s house or how cold it is outside. It’s a simple stove performance specification.

Ok you are right I clearly heating your house is completely unimportant as long as your cat is still active everything will be fine. All I am saying is that people don't care how long the cat is active. People care how long the stove will heat their house.

 

[Highbeam]

All I am saying is that people don't care how long the cat is active. People care how long the stove will heat their house.

These can be the same thing if the operator knows how to set the thermostat.

 

[bholler]

These can be the same thing if the operator knows how to set the thermostat.

Yes i agree yet you seem to think i dont for some reason. I set the thermostat so that it keeps my house around 70 untill the load is burnt down to a bed of coals and either the house is starting to cool off or i need to go to sleep or work. At that point i rake the coals out mostly to the front and refill the box. What is wrong with that?

 

[Highbeam]

Yes i agree yet you seem to think i dont for some reason. I set the thermostat so that it keeps my house around 70 untill the load is burnt down to a bed of coals and either the house is starting to cool off or i need to go to sleep or work. At that point i rake the coals out mostly to the front and refill the box. What is wrong with that?

Uh, nothing? Did you confuse me with someone else again? Glad you’re happy and warm!

 

[bholler]

Uh, nothing? Did you confuse me with someone else again? Glad you’re happy and warm!

Nope i was talking to you.

 

[Ashful]

You two are more fun than the Honeymooners.

 

[coutufr]

The stove is the gas tank, the wood is the gas and the setting on the thermostat is how fast you are burning the gas (wood). The burn time is how long you theoretically can burn at the lowest burn speed assuming you have X amount of draft, wood quantity etc while keeping the cat active. In practice, most of us are setting the thermostat in order to obtain a given room or house temperature and the type and humidity level of the wood we use is different from one load to another. Also the draft and room temperature varies with outside air temperature. In the end, the total burn time is a great way to compare stoves but it is of little importance in everyday life except for situations where the outside air temperature and wood use is constant most of winter. Unfortunately where I live outside temperature fluctuations are important and the heating needs for my house are always changing so because I try to maintain some consistency in indoor temperature, I very rarely target a burning duration. Also when it is warmer outside and I lower the thermostat too low I get the creosote smell...

 

[aaronk25]

....but now that I got my draft down to spec, I can stay in the active longer and most importantly at a given temperature I can now heat my house longer. Say 12f for 12 hours instead of 7 when most of my heat was going up the chimney.

The only time I care about how long of duration I can keep the cat active is when it’s 40f outside (then just barley active). What I care about is what is the longest I can keep my house at 73f consuming the least amount of wood for the given outside conditions. I love efficiency, that’s also why I fly a Mooney.


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[MissMac]

I have not found leaving an ash layer to be important with this stove. Runs great on the bricks. Other stoves, the ash really helps.

What are the benefits? Is it just for holding heat in the stove for reloads, or is there something else?

 

[Diabel]

In my very short experience with the Princess I also quickly found out that there is no need for an ash bed. I do not empty the stove every time I start a fire, but every third for sure.

My VC on the other hand, is the total opposite. It needs a nice 2” ash bed to work well and to maintain a nice 24hrs burn.....

 

[armanidog]

I found you all a t-shirt:

https://www.cafepress.com/+bk+t-shirts

 

[sprawlnstall]

I empty the ash and some hot coal so I can fit more wood in. Stove does seem to run a bit better with a thin layer of fine ash. Sometimes at the end of a burn I end up with large chunks of charred wood from the side logs that take up space in the firebox

 

[maple1]

If you get clinkers, ash can help protect your stove bottom from those getting glued to it.

Can also maintain embers for easier re-starting & re-loading.

Benefits (or not) would vary stove to stove. Maybe even wood type to wood type.

 

[Ashful]

What are the benefits? Is it just for holding heat in the stove for reloads, or is there something else?

Some stoves, like the three Jotuls I owned before BK, have a grate system under the firebox. This system works beautifully for ash removal, while saving your coals, but does result in airflow down under the fire if you don’t maintain a thick enough ash bed atop the grate. This happens even when your ash drawer and everything are properly sealed, just from the currents inside the stove. It has a measurable impact on burn time, and behavior.

I imagine the same thing happens to a much lesser degree in a brick bottom box, too. Air can hit the wood on the bottom better if it’s sitting on clean brick, vs sitting in a bed of ash. But we are only talking about the few splits in the bottom row, and how often is there not at least a little ash in the bottom of your stove?

 

[MtnBURN]

I love efficiency, that’s also why I fly a Mooney.

This flew over everyone's head, it seems...but it jogged memories here. My dad flew when I was a kid and had a Mooney. I think it was a '66. Either way...it was his first retractable gear aircraft and we went on quite a few family vacations in it...circa '71-75 or so. Happy flying

 

[moresnow]

A heavy ash layer on the stove bottom seems to have close to zero benefit for me. I prefer to use all the room I can with my smaller stove. I've tried it both ways and prefer less ash.
On another note I ran across a guy recommending that you pile your coals in a N-S row down the center of the stove at reload time. Load splits from the floor up on each side and to the full mark over the coals etc. as usual. Seems to enable a somewhat more uniform loading than using a widely un uniform spread out coal bed. Something to play with I guess. Seems to work nice so far. Dunno. Always trying something!

 

[aaronk25]

This flew over everyone's head, it seems...but it jogged memories here. My dad flew when I was a kid and had a Mooney. I think it was a '66. Either way...it was his first retractable gear aircraft and we went on quite a few family vacations in it...circa '71-75 or so. Happy flying

I see what you did there “flew over everyone’s head”....nice one. Ya the pure beauty in flying at 180mph while getting 22mpg is amazing.

Just the same as heating a 1800 sq ft, 2 level house with a 75d outside to inside temperature delta for 10 hours on 7 pieces of wood!

Now the twin engine cruiser boat efficiency has to be measured in smiles.


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[lsucet]

I did say it before. ash is not that great on my princess. It hugs the coals and the cat dropped out of the active zone when still lots of coal in there. with just a little layer everything goes to ashes and the cat still active producing good heat.

 

[MtnBURN]

Yup aaron.....same thing as the BK. As my dad would say...."trim it out...find the sweet spot and enjoy the ride". It's cool that you can search the Mooney database and see the manufacture date/etc... I was incorrect. My dad's was a '63 M-20D...Still remember the ID as well...N6649U.

 

[moresnow]

Now the twin engine cruiser boat efficiency has to be measured in smiles.

The only way to look at b.o.a.t. efficiency. I'll be smiling and sunburning in a few days in the Keys. @ 20 gallon of diesel per hour
Makes my stove look golden!